


What About the Gerbils?

by Baena



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is a badass, Coran is awesome, Everybody taking care of Hunk, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, It's all about Hunk, Samoan Hunk, Sickfic, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), This is a Hunk Appreciation Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:12:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8567026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baena/pseuds/Baena
Summary: As the leg of Voltron, Hunk supports his team and lifts them up, always putting the needs of others before his own. So who's there to take care of our favorite Yellow Paladin when he starts feeling the pressure?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hunk needs more love in this fandom and darned if I'm not going to provide! Enjoy, my fellow Yellow lovers.

Another day, another hellish training exercise from General Allura. Maybe that was too dramatic. Hunk clenched his teeth and guided Yellow upwards, ignoring the all too-familiar warnings from his stomach. The Princess had ambushed them with a surprise drill right after dinner, as if they hadn’t already been good and tired from defending the galaxy.

“Do you think Zarkon is going to care that it’s your bedtime?” Allura had demanded, her fists balled on her hips. Well, nobody could argue with that. Shiro, though he had looked every bit as exhausted as the rest of them, assumed commander mode.

“Okay, Team. Suit up.”

On most flights, Yellow was a perpetually soothing presence in Hunk’s head. The more they flew together, the easier it got. On good days, the yellow paladin all but forgot about his motion sickness. Today was not one of those days.

The rest of Team Voltron grimaced at the sound of Hunk losing his dinner over the comms. Lance was the first to speak up.

“Dude, I thought you were over the whole puking thing.” Oh sweet, naïve Lance.

“Sorry,” Hunk replied miserably. “Just a rough flight, I guess.” It wasn’t just the nausea. Hunk’s chest had been feeling weird and tight all day and his nose was tickling ominously. He wondered if he might be catching a cold.

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked. Hunk squared his shoulders.

“Yeah sorry. Let’s go again.”

The paladins flew back into position and sped up, all except Yellow. It was almost like he was mad at him. Maybe not mad but definitely unhappy. The overall sense Hunk got from him was one of concern. Hunk placed his hand on the console and muted his end of the mic.

“What’s the matter, partner? Are you upset because I puked in the cockpit again? I brought barf bags so I wouldn’t make a mess.”

“Hunk, where are you going?” Keith barked into the comm. Hunk’s hands flew back to the controls but he and Yellow were already well out of formation.

“I don’t know! Something’s going on with Yellow.”

“I think we better call it, Team. Let’s head in.” Hunk could hear Keith and Pidge groan and managed to feel even worse. Yellow, on the other hand, was purring in his head. At least he seemed happy with this development.

\-----

Hunk shuffled out of the bathroom thirty minutes later and Shiro knew from his pallor that he’d just thrown up again.

“You okay, Hunk? You’re usually feeling better once we’re on the ground.” The black paladin was giving Hunk his patented “worried dad” face. Hunk reddened.

“Yeah, I’m fine but I’m really sorry I messed up the training.” Despite his embarrassment, Hunk was glad that it was Shiro confronting him. He wasn’t sure he could look the others in the eye right now.

“I’m not worried about the training,” Shiro assured him. “You don’t look good, buddy.” As if to emphasize Shiro’s point, Hunk let out a loud sneeze, barely managing to cover his mouth in time.

“Oh no, I’m okay now,” Hunk sniffled. He knew his leader spoke from concern, but honestly the attention was just making him self-conscious. “I was gonna go help Pidge in the lab.” Shiro somehow managed to frown harder.

“I’d rather you went to bed but I won’t stop you. Just try not to stay up too late, alright?” Hunk stood up straighter and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“No problem, Shiro. Thanks.”

\-----

“Hey Hunk,” Pidge said, not looking up from her laptop. “Didn’t think you were coming.” Hunk paused and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“I thought you needed help with the Gerbles calibrations?”

“Well yeah but--” she was interrupted by a violent sneeze, followed by Hunk loudly blowing his nose into a tissue.

Pidge lifted an eyebrow. “Gross. You sure you’re up for this?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Hunk replied. “Just the sniffles.” Pidge studied him for a minute with amber eyes narrowed before shrugging.

“Well, try not to sneeze on the equipment, okay? And could you pass me that cable?”

\-----

They worked for hours without noticing the time, as per their routine. Pidge pounded away at her keyboard and Hunk as always managed the mechanical aspects of their project. There was a bit less conversation than usual tonight, the silence only being broken when one needed the other to check their calculations, or when Hunk had to sneeze or cough. When Pidge finally looked over to see Hunk draped over the desk, resting his head on his arms, she wasn’t terribly surprised.

She tried very hard not to feel annoyed. After all, it was getting pretty late and Hunk was obviously fighting something off. She closed her laptop with a sigh, resigning herself to the fact that nothing else was getting done tonight.

Pidge moved to shake her sleeping lab partner’s shoulder and paused, realizing that something felt off. Hunk normally radiated a comfortable amount of ambient heat, very useful while working in the chilly lab or exploring some far-flung ice planet. Tonight, however, their resident space heater was feeling more like a furnace. With a growing sense of disquiet, Pidge pressed her palm to Hunk’s forehead.

“Ah, quiznak.”

\-----

Shiro lifted his head from the pillow with a start. He couldn’t remember falling asleep, nor could he place what had woken him until the knock repeated itself on his door.

“Shiro?” Trying not to think about whatever potential disaster would prompt Pidge to wake him, Shiro stretched his back and hauled himself to the door.

“Pidge?” he said, stifling a yawn. “What’s wrong?” The girl shuffled her feet uneasily.

“Sorry to wake you but…something’s wrong with Hunk. I think he’s sick.”

“What happened?” Shiro asked her, instantly alert.

“He fell asleep while we were working and I can’t wake him up. He feels really warm.” Shiro sighed.

“I knew he was coming down with something.”

“Who’s coming down with something?” asked a voice from behind Shiro. The two paladins jumped. Pidge squinted at the newcomer.

“Lance, what are you doing up this late?”

“What are _any of you_ doing up this late?” Shiro questioned, exasperated.

“I needed the bathroom,” Lance answered with a dismissive wave. “Is somebody sick?”

“Hunk is, apparently. I’m gonna go check on him. Why don’t you two go on to bed?” Pidge shook her head firmly.

“I’m going with you, Shiro. Hunk’s freaking me out a little bit.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Pidge,” Lance yawned. “Hunk always gets a little weird when he’s like, _sick_ sick. Fevers kinda go to his head.”

“So you’re not worried?” Lance shrugged.

“Nah. You weren’t around the last time he caught a cold at the Garrison. He was either sleeping for twelve hours straight or getting up at 3 a.m. to clean the dorm. No in-between.” Shiro sighed again.

“Lead the way, Pidge.”

\-----

As the two walked back to the laboratory, Pidge filled the silence with nervous chatter.

“I’m sorry, Shiro. Hunk seemed okay other than coughing and sneezing a couple of times and he _said_ he was okay so I didn’t think it was that bad. I can’t carry him and I can’t leave him there because the lab’s kinda cold and if he’s already getting sick…”

“Pidge, it’s okay. I’m sure Lance is right and Hunk just needs some rest.”

\-----

The engineer hadn’t moved a muscle since Pidge had left him. Hunk was snoring softly and didn’t so much as twitch when the others approached. Shiro slipped a hand under his bangs and frowned.

“You’re right. His temperature’s up.” Hunk only now began to stir, lifting his head out of Shiro’s palm and scrubbing at his face.

“Hunk? You feeling okay?” Shiro asked, moving a steadying hand to his shoulder.

“Ugh…sorry,” Hunk yawned. “Did I fall asleep?”

“I think you _need_ some sleep, buddy. Why don’t we get you to bed?” Hunk blinked owlishly at him.

“What about the gerbils?” Shiro’s eyebrows rose.

“Um… I’ll take care of the gerbils, Hunk,” Pidge reassured him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“’Kay.”

\-----

With just a little help from Shiro, Hunk made it back to his room and into his pajamas while Pidge ferreted around for supplies. He was fast asleep again by the time she returned with a few pouches of water and several blankets.

“Did you find anything we can use to take his temperature?” Shiro whispered. After some rummaging, Pidge pulled the Altean equivalent of a thermometer out of her pack. She gently brushed Hunk’s bangs back and swiped the edge of the device across his forehead, checking the reading.

“Just under 100 degrees.” Pidge’s brow furrowed. “That’s not so bad, right?”

“As long as it doesn’t go much higher,” Shiro replied. “We’ll keep an eye on him.” He tucked the blankets around the sleeping yellow paladin and brushed his forehead one last time before straightening. “Your turn, Pidge. It’s bedtime.”

\-----

Allura was walking the castle early the next morning; in as far as “daylight hours” can be measured in space. She had assumed the younger paladins were still sleeping until she heard the sound of a loud sneeze coming from the room ahead of her.

Normally, the sight of Hunk working in the kitchen wouldn’t give her pause, but Shiro had told her about Hunk’s developing cold. The yellow paladin looked miserable, still wearing his nightclothes and wrapped up in what looked like the comforter from his bed. He didn’t see her watching him as he started to cough, a harsh, rasping sound that came from deep inside his chest.

“Hunk?” The teenager startled, made himself dizzy and steadied himself against the counter, bringing his hand up in a casual wave.

“Oh, hi Princess.”

 “Are you feeling alright? You sound terrible.” Hunk averted his eyes, looking rather like a child trying to hide something.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just making breakfast.” Allura pursed her lips, taking in his glassy, shadow-ringed eyes and flushed cheeks.

“Should you be out of bed? I’d be happy to bring you something to eat.”

“No, it’s not for me. I’ve almost nailed a recipe for pancakes and I promised the guys.”

“Oh Hunk…” Allura reached up and felt the boy’s forehead, her eyes widening in alarm.

“Quiznak, you’re burning up!” she exclaimed, cupping Hunk’s face in her hands.

“It’s not that bad,” Hunk deflected, flinching away from her touch. “I always run kinda warm.”

“Hunk…”

“It’s really okay. I can go back to sleep after--” He cut himself off with another cough, one that doubled him up with the force of it. Allura rubbed his back and offered Hunk an arm to hold onto until it was over.

“I have a better idea,” she said gently when he was able to breathe again. “You go lie down in your room and I’ll bring you a nice cup of tea. Maybe some breakfast for yourself too.” Hunk sniffled, looking defeated.

“Okay.”

 “Hunk! There you are, buddy.” Lance said, strolling into the kitchen. “You weren’t in your room and me and Shiro got a little worried.”

 “Hunk is going back to bed,” the princess told him. “No training or chores today.”

“It’s not a chore,” Hunk protested weakly. “I like cooking for you guys.”

“Aww, Hunk.” Lance joined in immediately, throwing an arm around the older boy and helping Allura steer him out of the kitchen. “We know you do, but you look like you could use a day off.” Hunk still looked crestfallen.

“Can you tell everybody I’m sorry? I’ll make pancakes tomorrow.”

“Dude, don’t even worry about it,” Lance replied, raising an eyebrow at Allura. The princess’ posture reminded him of a short-tempered mother bear. Lance would have feared for his safety if he was leading Hunk anywhere but bed.

“He’s feverish,” she told him, though that was fairly obvious. Lance could feel Hunk shivering even through the blanket. Instinctively, he pulled him a little closer as they walked.

“Let’s take care of you this time, okay bud?”

“Aw, I love you guys,” Hunk slurred. His pace slowed and Lance was having to support more and more of his friend’s weight. Allura must have noticed; she was sidling closer to Hunk’s other side and watching him like a hawk.

It was a good thing too. Another round of coughing struck, bad enough to knock the wind out of him and Hunk’s knees buckled.

Lance swore colorfully as he and Allura sank to the floor with Hunk, holding tightly to his shoulders to keep him from hurting himself. The blue paladin maneuvered Hunk’s head into his lap and covered his forehead with one hand.

“Oh man…”

“What happened?!” Shiro demanded, approaching them at a sprint. He was flanked by an anxious looking Keith.

“Is he okay?” Keith questioned.

“Hunk’s got a fever. He just passed out on us.” Lance was pale as he looked up at Shiro. “Dude, you didn’t tell me it was this bad!” Shiro felt the side of Hunk’s neck and inhaled sharply. Allura started giving orders.

“Keith, you’re the fastest. Run and tell Coran to prepare the infirmary.” The red paladin took off, grateful to have something useful to do.

“Lance, help me sit him up.” The boy obeyed, lifting his friend by the shoulders with Shiro’s help.

“How do we get him down there?”

“I’ll carry him of course.” Allura closed her eyes and concentrated, growing taller and broader in the shoulders as the others watched. “Now let me have him.”

The three carefully positioned Hunk over Allura’s shoulder in a fireman’s carry. The yellow paladin didn’t wake, merely letting out a soft groan as he was settled in place. Allura stood easily, marching towards the infirmary at a brisk pace while trying not to jar her passenger.

\-----

Coran was already waiting for them.

“Set him here, Princess. Keith, we’ll need those pillows.” Allura and Shiro carefully set the still unconscious yellow paladin down on the gurney. Hunk coughed hard, the air rattling painfully through his chest.

“We can’t put him flat on his back. It’ll be harder for him to breath,” Coran explained as Keith stepped up with an armload of bedding. Allura gently turned Hunk onto his side and Keith put a few pillows behind his back to keep him there. Coran waved some sort of handheld scanner over Hunk’s body, frowning at the readings.

“His lungs are terribly congested. How long has Hunk been running a fever?”

“Since last night,” Shiro replied. “But it wasn’t nearly this high. What do you think it is, Coran?”

“We’ll have to run a few tests,” Coran answered, pensively tugging at his moustache. “Just from the sound of his breathing my guess is bronchitis.”

 “Lance?” Hunk murmured, catching everyone’s attention. Lance approached the bed and stroked his friend’s burning forehead with his fingertips.

“Right here, buddy.”

“I don’t feel very good.” The blue paladin took a ragged breath and forced his face into a reassuring smile.

“I know, big guy. We’re gonna fix that.” Hunk sniffled.

“I want my dad.” Lance’s eyes welled and that broke Shiro’s heart almost as much as the confession of a sick teenager a long way from home. The black paladin reached down and squeezed Hunk’s shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, Hunk,” Shiro told him. “Just hang in there.”

By now, the whole team had gathered in the infirmary, all with various levels of concern in their eyes. Hunk was too sick to feel self-conscious, focusing instead on Coran’s face as it swam above him. The royal advisor put a supportive hand behind Hunk’s back and held out a small cup of something.

“Drink this, lad. It’ll clear up your lungs and bring that fever down.” Hunk obeyed, downing the medicine like a shot to avoid the taste. Coran took the cup back and helped Hunk get comfortable, tucking the covers around him with military efficiency. Once he was settled, the older man soaked a washcloth in some cool water and laid it over his brow. “Just leave that on your forehead and don’t worry. We’ll have you feeling better in no time.”

“Shiro?” Hunk said groggily, the medicine already kicking in. “What if we need to form Voltron? You’re gonna need the Yellow Lion.”

“We’ll need _you_ ,” Shiro corrected gently. “It’s not a team without you, Hunk. But right now, the best thing you can do for your team is get feeling better.”

“Shiro’s right, Hunk.” Pidge put in, her head popping up at his elbow. “Besides, it’s not like you’d be much help when you’re half delirious.”

“Wow Pidge,” Keith deadpanned.

“Alright, everyone out now,” Coran ordered amiably, making a shooing motion with his hands. “Number 2 needs his rest.”

\-----

“How did Hunk get this sick so fast?” Pidge wondered aloud from her spot on the common room couch. “I thought he just had a cold.”

“It can happen,” Keith said. “One of the kids I went to school with got pneumonia once and none of us even knew he was sick until he passed out in class.”

“Nobody’s getting pneumonia on my watch,” Shiro declared. “It’s bad enough I let it get this far.”

“It’s not your fault, Shiro,” Pidge said. “Now that I think about it, Hunk’s been acting kinda tired for days. We’ve all been so busy; I didn’t think much of it.”

“Well _I_ should have noticed!” Lance cried. “I’m supposed to be his best friend.”

“We all dropped the ball,” Keith said. “That’s why Yellow was acting so weird yesterday. He was protecting Hunk.” He crossed his arms, folding in on himself. “Because obviously _we_ weren’t doing a very good job.” Everyone deflated at that, but Allura wasn’t having it.

“Enough of this, now. Hunk is going to be fine and I know he wouldn’t want any of us to blame ourselves.” Shiro sighed and rested a calming hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“The Princess is right. Let’s just focus on helping Hunk get better.”

\-----

The rest of that day and night was hard on everyone. Coran, with his vast medical knowledge was Hunk’s main caregiver, but the already overworked steward had other duties. That left everyone else to take turns, coaxing fluids into their patient and working to cool him down whenever his temperature spiked. As Lance had predicted, Hunk slept through most of it, only stirring to sip some water or make a not so quick run to the bathroom.

Hunk was oblivious to most everything as he drifted, his ever hectic mind flickering sporadically between dreams and memories. He saw faces, old and new, and the waves back home in Samoa. Now and then he could hear his father’s voice, so vivid that he could have been right beside him. Even when Hunk wasn’t so little anymore, his dad was dependable as the tides whenever he wasn’t feeling well. How many times had he fallen asleep to calloused fingers combing soothingly through his hair, that deep baritone singing softly in the old language or sometimes just talking to him?

“S’alright, Tsuyoshi,” he would say. “Papa’s here.” At one point the memory was so real that Hunk opened his eyes half expecting to see his father. Instead, there was Shiro. The black paladin looked so tired and so worried that Hunk felt compelled to reach out and reassure him. Shiro shook his head.

“You’re okay, kiddo,” he told him, still stroking his hair. “Just rest.”

\-----

Hunk finally turned the corner the following morning. He was still coughing and the fever hadn’t quite broken but Pidge thought his eyes seemed clearer now, like he was actually seeing her. Not for the first time, she was very grateful to Coran and Altean medical advances.

“Hey Pidge,” Hunk said, offering a sleepy smile when he saw his youngest friend perched near the bed.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Not bad. Just kinda tired.”

“Yeah, you’ve been fighting off a really high fever since yesterday.”

“Yesterday? Wow…”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed. She pulled her chair close and gestured to an unidentifiable bowl of liquid on the tray beside her. “Coran made this broth that’s supposed to be really good for you. You haven’t eaten anything since you puked up dinner the other night.” Hunk loved Coran but he was inherently skeptical about anything the guy cooked. Maybe it was for the best that he couldn’t smell anything. “It’s actually not that bad,” Pidge said, as if reading his thoughts. “Anyway, you don’t have to eat it all.”

“Thanks Pidge. I’ll give it a try.” Hunk still wasn’t hungry, but he felt like he owed his friends the attempt. He slowly pushed himself up into a reclining position, the effort tiring him out more than it should have. Pidge pulled the rolling tray forward and handed Hunk a spoon. Hunk only managed a couple of mouthfuls before fatigue threatened to pull him back under. His arms felt like lead.

“Here,” said Pidge, taking the spoon from him. “I’ll do it.” Hunk felt his face warm all over again.

“Sorry.”

“Shut it. Well no, don’t shut it. I want you to eat this.” Hunk chuckled, just enough to avoid triggering a coughing fit. He opened his mouth obediently to let Pidge feed him the broth. He really couldn’t taste anything, but maybe that was for the best. Pidge, bless her, was even blowing on the spoon before giving it to him.

“No rocket ship noises?” Hunk asked dryly. Pidge snorted.

Though he had been out of it most of the time, Hunk did have a few flashes of memory from the past twenty-four hours. Sometime during the night he had woken to someone dabbing his forehead with a cool cloth. He’d cracked his eyes just enough to see Keith’s worried face blurring in and out of focus. Another time, after Hunk had woken himself up coughing, he remembered someone massaging his back until he fell asleep again. Hunk was pretty sure that had been Lance.

“’M sorry Pidge. I guess I’ve really been a pain for you guys.”

“Geez, will you stop apologizing already?” Pidge said, rolling her eyes. “You’re always doing things for the rest of us. We can return the favor.” Her expression softened. “Just…get better, okay? With all these projects we’re working on, I need your brain. Preferably uncooked.” Hunk smiled.

“Okay.”

\-----

When he woke again that afternoon, Hunk was feeling a bit more human. Definitely not a hundred percent but improved enough that Coran felt it was safe to let him out of the infirmary. Hunk was just glad he now had the strength to get up and shower. Once he had towel dried his hair and changed into fresh p.j.’s, Hunk happily settled down in his own bed. Coran and Allura both stopped in to check on him.

“Thanks for everything, guys. I know I’m not fun to deal with when I’m sick.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Number 2,” Coran scoffed. “You’re one of the most agreeable patients I’ve ever had.”

“We’re just glad you’re feeling better, Hunk,” Allura added. “You gave us all a bit of a scare.” That’s when Hunk noticed something.

“Hey, where is everybody anyway? Just realized I haven’t seen the others since this morning.”

“They flew down to visit the planet Logai, the one we’ve been orbiting.” Hunk’s eyes widened and he moved to sit up, only to be halted by Coran’s firm hand on his shoulder. “Oh no you don’t. Their mission is strictly diplomatic. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Coran, I know I’m just a leg, but what if they need me?”

“Hunk!” Allura was taken aback. “You are not _‘just’_ anything,” She actually looked kind of angry. “Do you think Lance is ‘just a leg’?”

“Wait what _no_ , of course not!” Hunk stammered, startled by her reaction.

“Then why would you say such a thing about yourself?” Hunk hung his head and Allura softened, taking one of his hands into both of hers. “Team Voltron is not whole without _you_ , Hunk. The Yellow Lion could not be piloted by just anyone.” Hunk lifted his eyes timidly to meet hers.

“Really?” She smiled.

“Really. When I said it takes a mighty heart to fly her, I meant it.” Hunk blushed. Coran nodded.

“You’re far too hard on yourself, lad. No one can carry the universe on their shoulders all the time.” Hunk felt ashamed.

 “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine everything you two have been through, and here I am feeling sorry for myself.”

“Nonsense,” Coran told him, thumping his back. “We just don’t want you to sell yourself short.”

“Still, thanks.” Hunk’s head sank back into the pillow, suddenly tired again.

“We should let you get back to sleep,” Coran told him.

“Coran?” Hunk asked, his brown eyes half lidded. “Could someone let me know when the others get back, even if I’m asleep? I just wanna know they’re okay.”

“Of course we will.” Allura squeezed Hunk’s hand and stood, Coran following suit. “Get some rest, Hunk. I’m sure everyone will be back by the time you wake up.”

\-----

As per usual, Allura was right. No sooner had Hunk closed his eyes that he was awakened by the sound of chatter outside his door. Hunk coughed.

“Guys?” The voices quieted, the door slid open, and in streamed the rest of Team Voltron plus Coran.

“Hi Hunk,” Pidge greeted sheepishly. “Sorry, we weren’t sure if you were awake.” Keith stepped in behind her.

“Yeah, sorry we couldn’t bring you with us but you didn’t miss much. It was pretty boring down there.”

“Totally boring,” Lance agreed. Hunk knew full well they were lying, but was touched all the same.

“How are you feeling?” Shiro asked.

“Pretty good,” Hunk answered truthfully. “Glad to see you guys.”

“You too buddy. And hey, we brought you something to make it up to you. Check it out!” Unable to contain himself any longer, Lance pulled a strange looking fruit out of his pack. Hunk’s eyes widened when his congested nose managed to catch a familiar scent.

“Lance…is that?”

“Two words, Hunk: Space. Pineapple.” Lance beamed, handing it over. “The planet’s covered with these weird looking trees and dude I swear the fruit tastes just like the real thing!”

“No way,” Hunk breathed, turning the alien plant over in his hands. Pidge broke in cheerfully.

“The Logai were so happy to have our help against the Galra that they gave us a ton of ‘em. Coran says they’ll stay fresh for ages.”

“And they’re packed with vitamins!” Coran chirped. “Just the thing to getcha back on your feet!”

“Wow…” Hunk sniffled. “You guys are the best.”

“Aww Hunk. Don’t start crying until you try some.” Hunk swiped at his eyes.

“Thanks everybody. You know, for taking care of me.” Shiro put an arm around him.

“Hunk, you take care of us _all_ the time.”

“Yeah, like when I had that stomach thing?” Keith reminded him. “You stayed with me and didn’t get grossed out once.”

“Wait, that was _me_ ,” Lance protested. “I took care of you that whole night you were in the infirmary.”

“Maybe,” Keith said airily. “But Hunk’s the one who stuck around while I was actually throwing up.”

Pidge raised her voice to cover Lance’s indignant sputtering.

“You’re the best science partner I ever had, Hunk,” she grinned crookedly. “And not just because you can reach the higher shelves.”

“Okay, that does it,” Hunk said, his eyes streaming freely now. “Everybody come here.” He spread his arms and gathered his team into a big group hug.

“I missed you guys.” Keith was going to point out that they had only been gone a few hours but then he remembered what Allura had told them just a few minutes ago. _“Please go and look in on Hunk. I think he’s lonesome.”_

 “Let’s celebrate!” Lance said. “We are way overdue for a movie night.”

“Lance, Hunk’s still sick,” Shiro cautioned. “We probably shouldn’t push it.”

“I wouldn’t have to do anything, Shiro. We can pile on the couch in the common room and if I get tired, I’ll just go to sleep.” Hunk paused, still snuffling a little. “I wanna hang out with everybody and eat space pineapples.” Faced with four pairs of puppy-dog eyes (five counting Coran) Shiro was completely powerless.

“Okay Hunk. But you get to pick the movie.”

\-----

All five paladins and both Alteans were strewn in various positions on the giant sofa as _Space Balls_ played on the holoprojector. It had been a good call. Coran and Allura didn’t understand any of the jokes but they got their entertainment from seeing their paladins (even Shiro) laughing themselves to tears.

It surprised no one when Hunk fell asleep halfway through the movie. His head was resting on Shiro’s leg and the black paladin gave him an affectionate look when he started snoring, ruffling his hair. Hunk’s legs were stretched out across Lance’s lap, the blue paladin making sure the blankets stayed in place. Pidge manned the projector, content that for once, all was well. She smiled fondly at her teammates looking out for Hunk as he slept. She knew they were all thinking the same thing. For once, they were gonna be _Hunk’s_ space heater.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoo boy this was a bear to write. It took me forever to get everything the way I wanted and to do Hunk justice. Hopefully it was worth it and you guys enjoyed. Reviews make me happy! ^_^


End file.
